Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

Tang San lowered his head and glanced at Yu Xiaogang out of the corner of his eye. Then, he chose to ignore him.

'Beg him?'

'Heh.'

With Yu Xiaogang's attitude, how could Tang San, a principled gentleman, possibly stoop to begging him?

Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. Having decided to sever all ties with Yu Xiaogang, Tang San would never look back.

And certainly not to beg this despicable sham of a "master" in front of tens of thousands of onlookers!

"Xiaogang, you've reached this state, and yet you're still so full of yourself!"

Tang San thought to himself, a flash of killing intent glinting in his eyes.

At this moment, he deeply regretted his decision not to kill Yu Xiaogang and silence him back in the Spirit Hunting Forest.

If he had ended Yu Xiaogang back then, there wouldn't be any of these current troubles.

"Xiaogang, oh Xiaogang, you are practically asking for death!"

With Yu Xiaogang reduced to such a state, killing him would be effortless. But doing so openly, in front of a crowd, wasn't something Tang San could do himself.

And really, what could Yu Xiaogang even know about innate domains?

Tang San gave him an inconspicuous kick, seemingly accidental, yet somehow his shoe landed squarely in Yu Xiaogang's mouth.

"Mmph—"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened in shock, overwhelmed by a distinct, sour taste—pickled cabbage!

It was no surprise; Soul Masters often trained intensely, and sweating was entirely normal.

Tang San was a frugal person, and the shoes he was currently wearing had been in use for two years. Over the past month, with the upcoming competition, he hadn't even bothered to wash them once.

The acrid stench was utterly unbearable, making Yu Xiaogang tear up from the sheer pungency.

He could face a sword without blinking, but against this shoe, he couldn't even open his eyes.

Tears streamed down Yu Xiaogang's face. If he still had a body, he might have been able to push Tang San's foot away. But now, he was completely powerless.

"Beast! You beast!"

Yu Xiaogang cursed in his heart, struggling with all his might, yet to no avail.

Tang San hesitated for a moment, intending to move his foot away. But remembering Yu Xiaogang's usual repugnant behavior, he ultimately did nothing, letting things play out as they would.

The audience was stunned. What a touching display of teacher-student bonding!

This pair of master and disciple were truly a perfect match.

Tang San cupped his hands toward Zhongli and finally spoke: "Lord Martial God, may I ask how innate domains differ from domain-type soul skills?"

Domains could be classified into innate, acquired, and soul skill types.

Acquired domains, like the Killing God Domain, also didn't occupy a soul ring position.

After pondering briefly, Zhongli replied: "Innate domains can be understood as soul abilities that are inherently present when the martial spirit awakens. Moreover, these abilities are intrinsic to the martial spirit itself."

Tang San wasn't stupid. On the contrary, he was quite "smart"! Zhongli's explanation wasn't just clear to Tang San but also to the audience.

However, they failed to grasp the deeper truth—domains and soul abilities are fundamentally different.

A powerful domain, more important even than a Martial Soul True Body, could not be compared to an ordinary soul ability.

It's worth noting that domains, under certain conditions, could evolve!

Seemingly recalling something, Zhongli crossed one arm and stroked his chin with the other before saying: "I've heard a little about the innate domain of the Blue Silver Emperor."

At this, Zhongli paused and looked at Tang San again.

The Blue Silver Emperor's innate domain: the Blue Silver Domain.

As long as plants were present nearby, the user essentially gained "immortality."

But even with a perfected Blue Silver Domain, the Blue Silver Emperor was ultimately forced to sacrifice herself.

From the location of her sacrifice, it was evident—there wasn't just a scarcity of Blue Silver Grass nearby but hardly any plants at all!

Clearly, Tang Hao had chosen a very "good" location.

Was the Star Dou Forest insufficiently lush? Was the Blue Silver Forest not ideal? He just had to go to a barren wasteland!

It seemed Tang Hao truly feared that hope might arise from despair.

Seated beside Zhongli, Paimon blinked and instinctively glanced at him, her eyes wide with realization.

Here it comes, here it comes!

He was doing it again!

Whenever Zhongli used the phrase "I've heard a little," it meant he was absolutely certain. Otherwise, he wouldn't have added the word "little" for modesty!

Seeing Zhongli fix his gaze on him once more, Tang San paused and then "suddenly understood."

This must be a secret not suited for public disclosure. Otherwise, Zhongli wouldn't have hesitated.

But Tang San couldn't afford to wait. In private, he had no chance to consult this Martial God.

Not only were they strangers, but their relationship had soured due to Tang San's actions during the apprenticeship ceremony.

Privately inquiring about this matter would be nearly impossible.

Cupping his hands respectfully toward Zhongli, Tang San said, "I implore you, Lord, to enlighten me. Tang San will be forever grateful!"

Grateful, yes. But repaying him? Never. In Tang San's eyes, Zhongli was just another person who had crossed him.

Tang San only cared about what he gained. If someone offended him even once, he would never forget. That was his principle.

It was this very mindset that led to a common saying: Help Xiao Yan once, and he will repay you a hundredfold. He'll call you "elder" for a lifetime.

Help Tang San, and he will only scorn you for not doing enough, no matter how much you've sacrificed.

To help Tang San, Dugu Bo bore the infamy of millennia, even sacrificing the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, which ultimately became private property of the Tang Clan.

And what did his descendants gain in return?

Absolutely nothing!

Even the Dugu surname didn't survive in the Tang Clan's legacy. Clearly, aiding Tang San brought no rewards—only loss.

Seeing Tang San "nod," Zhongli stroked his chin and fell into thought.

He had already been as tactful as possible, subtly hinting that this wasn't a topic suitable for public discussion.

But Tang San was desperate, unwilling to let the opportunity slip.

Hopefully, he wouldn't turn around later and curse Zhongli for 'seeking his own death.'

Zhongli's intent was merely to educate the masses, shedding light on a niche concept: plant-type Soul Masters could sometimes upgrade their martial souls by absorbing plant-type soul rings.

Of course, this wasn't a certainty. It was a probabilistic phenomenon.

Some martial souls and Soul Masters lacked even the faintest trace of a compatible bloodline. Even if they absorbed plant-type soul rings, evolution was unlikely.

"Since that's the case, I'll state it outright."

Zhongli nodded lightly, continuing with a calm demeanor: "The Blue Silver Emperor martial soul—over the span of ten thousand years in the Douluo Continent—has only ever appeared once."

"She was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who took human form, known as Ah Yin."

As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire arena fell silent. One could hear a pin drop.

In the shadows, Tang Hao trembled uncontrollably, staring at Zhongli in shock.

'Who was this man?'

'How could he know such a secret?:

Moments later, the stillness broke with the sound of heavy, labored breathing rippling through the audience.

'A hundred-thousand-year soul beast taking human form? '

No one doubted Zhongli's words, including Tang San, for the one speaking was none other than Zhongli.

Xiao Wu, who was supporting Tang San, felt her pupils contract. Her entire body trembled slightly, and her face turned pale as paper.

"A hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor?"

"Ah Yin?"

Tang San lowered his head, mumbling the name under his breath.

It rang vaguely familiar in his memory, though he couldn't immediately recall why.